I met Tony and the love of his life, Tammy, the day after the Blackhawks won the Stanley cup summer of 2010. They were in the group that went out with us for my friend Emily’s birthday.

From the moment I met them I knew they had something special. They were unabashedly in love with each other. They gave me hope. I have never seen a couple that young who were so loving and caring. Movies and books are written about this kind of love. They gave me hope that love could be like this in the beginning and stay like that for the long haul. I had such high hopes for them. I imagined kids named after OSU greats running around their house decked out in OSU paraphernalia singing “Hang on Sloopy” at the top of their lungs.

Sadly, in 2011, the Wednesday after Valentines day Tony lost his battle with Colon cancer. My heart broke. I had only known him since June but a love like that should not end so soon. It seems so unfair. I wish they had more time together. Yet, in that short amount of time their love opened my eyes to a whole new world of how to love someone. Openly, Freely, Unabashedly, Unbiasedly, Beautifully, Non Judgmentally and Hopefully.

Cancer you did not completely win. You took away his body but his memory will ALWAYS be with us.

Please help the Columbus Blue Jackets and I put an end to cancer by donating here. If you can’t donate please spread this story around. Every deserves to know what kind of love truly exists in this world.